Policy and Evidence in a Partisan Age: The Great Disconnect

2017-02-18

Features

Review

While one would hope that legislators and policymakers would base their decisions on the best available empirical evidence, they are instead frequently governed by ideology. Many do not have the knowledge needed to sift through contradictory studies and reevaluate their opinions accordingly. In _Policy and Evidence in a Partisan Age_, Paul Wyckoff shows his talent for doing just that. His review of empirical research on timely domestic policy concerns demonstrates that many common beliefs about the effects of government action are false. He also makes sensible recommendations that, if followed, will teach policymakers to think in empirical terms. --John J. Donohue III, Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law, Yale Law School

_Policy and Evidence in a Partisan Age_ makes a strong case for the provocative claim that public policies have shown little leverage over the most politically salient behaviors. Based on evidence rather than either liberal or conservative ideology, it appears that government has much less opportunity than commonly believed to induce either good or bad behaviors. Stimulating demand during recessions, speeding up national or local economic growth, and increasing children's human capital through schooling all seem less amenable to government policy than is commonly believed. The author argues that such common beliefs will only be changed if we inculcate better empirical smarts, not just among the lawyers who dominate government, but also among our many undergraduate economics majors who often learn theory divorced from evidence. --David L. Weimer, Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, University of Wisconsin Madison

Review

While one would hope that legislators and policymakers would base their decisions on the best available empirical evidence, they are instead frequently governed by ideology. Many do not have the knowledge needed to sift through contradictory studies and reevaluate their opinions accordingly. In Policy and Evidence in a Partisan Age, Paul Wyckoff shows his talent for doing just that. His review of empirical research on timely domestic policy concerns demonstrates that many common beliefs about the effects of government action are false. He also makes sensible recommendations that, if followed, will teach policymakers to think in empirical terms. ―John J. Donohue III, Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Policy and Evidence in a Partisan Age makes a strong case for the provocative claim that public policies have shown little leverage over the most politically salient behaviors. Based on evidence rather than either liberal or conservative ideology, it appears that government has much less opportunity than commonly believed to induce either good or bad behaviors. Stimulating demand during recessions, speeding up national or local economic growth, and increasing children's human capital through schooling all seem less amenable to government policy than is commonly believed. The author argues that such common beliefs will only be changed if we inculcate better empirical smarts, not just among the lawyers who dominate government, but also among our many undergraduate economics majors who often learn theory divorced from evidence. ―David L. Weimer, Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, University of Wisconsin Madison